lygophilous

I feel somewhat behind finally giving Snake Oil a try, especially as anything with "sugared" and "vanilla" in the description usually ages well on my skin. In the imp, I'm initially taken aback at the strength of the scent. Upon the second scent, I smell sweetness, definitely, as well as a unique buttery spiciness. This is a smooth scent. Wet on the skin, at first, I get a whiff of that typical alcoholic tang that generic perfumes all have, so I waited about two minutes (after having read several other review that recommended giving Snake Oil some time to settle and "morph"), and I still smell that tang, though not so much in the typical store-bought perfume manner (thankfully). I'm catching mostly somewhat sugary spices. Dry on the skin, after about forty minutes, and THERE is the vanilla! Truthfully, it took only about ten minutes for the sweetness to come through, but I wanted to wait and see how long the spice rack flavors would last. I'm so glad I didn't judge Snake Oil on my initial experiences, because I would be missing out on this wonderfully unique scent! No powdery, no soapy, though I wouldn't necessarily call this sugared vanilla so much as I would call it "spiced vanilla." Overall, I had to reapply one time, but that was it. Snake Oil lasted very well on my skin without a suffocating throw. Several of my students (I'm a high school teacher) complimented me on my scent, but only when I was standing next to them while correcting work. I can see why this is a popular scent, and I will definitely be purchasing a bottle for my evening outings! Source: Snake Oil

I can't stop thinking about this man whenever I think about Dorian Gray. Though he does have that sort of debauched Goethe's Mephistopheles 19th-century look about him (side note: Trent Reznor did it better). Please please please let the scent live up to the image! In the imp, I'm extremely intrigued! Sweet honey nectar, and sharply musky. Not too much like food, although I'm wondering what it will turn out like on my skin. I don't get the scent of tea at all. Wet on the skin, and I still like, although I'm somewhat concerned by smelling like a vanilla honey cake all day long. It's rather strong and practically throws across the room. This definitely is not an every day scent. I'm enjoying the combination of sweetness and darkness all in one. The musk plus the sugary honey is a fascinating mix. Dry on the skin, thirty-five minutes later, and I think I suffocated a co-worker. This scent has a powerful throw, which is not something I would recommend for the daytime work environment. However, I think this is a perfect play scent that ages spectacularly well (just like it's namesake, of course!). Seriously, the longer you wear it, the better it gets, while it doesn't lose it's fervor at all. After an hour and a half, there is a small powdery twist to the musk (but this happens on me for all musks and sandalwoods, so this might be just my skin), but interestingly enough, the extra something just makes it more interesting. Overall, I will probably get the bottle of this scent... eventually. It's by far one of the best play scents I've found. Dorian is strikingly similar to the fictional Dorian Grey. Lasts a long time, doesn't get old on your skin, and just gets better as time passes. The only possible downside is the strength of the scent. Wow, does it stick around and float all over the place. I did have an odd occurrence when I washed up in the restroom where the perfumed soap made Dorian smell weird. I'll just have to be wary of scented soaps/lotions whenever I wear Dorian in the future!

So glad to finally try this scent! I moved and fell out of BPAL in all the craziness, and this was the first scent that I received and sniffed in over eight months. What a great welcoming back to BPAL! In the imp, I don't smell any citrus. Just sweet vanilla and sandalwood. The scent is strong but so pleasant! Wet on the skin, the throw is not overwhelming, which is wonderful. I can't stop sniffing myself! The sandalwood is definitely coming out strong along with the Lily of the Valley. That extra muskiness must be the opium, which, apparently, I adore (and as a result, I am browsing for more opium-mixed scents right now). Dry on the skin about thirty minutes later, and I am enamored. The musky vanilla-lily-sandalwood combination is lush and womanly, though not overly so. It seems to go slightly powdery (not soapy, however) on my skin, which I prefer in scents anyhow. I still don't smell any mandarin notes, though I am certainly not complaining! There is something about this scent that seems almost dreamy. Belle Époque is a classic! It makes me think of warm gardens and beautiful women lounging outside with large brim hats many, many years ago. And it makes me remember watching the movie of the same (with a very young Penelope Cruz), which it seems to reflect in an amusing way. I will definitely be adding this permanently to my growing collection. I highly recommend. Source: Belle Époque

I'm of Cuban descent, and one of the things that mark my childhood so strongly is the smell of the "typical" Cuban baby cologne (which can still be purchased and, yes, I will be inflicting this scent upon my own soon-to-exist child). It smells like the most amazing sweet violets, and it covers "eau de baby" perfectly. So, I've been searching for a "grown-up" version of violets for quite some time, and unfortunately, Ultraviolet, is not what I'm looking for. In the imp, I sniffed no violet whatsoever. Just a strong metallic note of minty eucalyptus. I'm reminded of Vicks (another staple of my youth), and it almost burns a little in the nostrils. I was somewhat skeptical at this point, but having learned from experience, I went ahead and applied Ultraviolet to the crook of my elbow. Wet on the skin, and I'm reminded of strongly scented soap and even a bit of Windex. What the heck?! My nose was definitely not off, so (like I had to do with Snake Oil), I waited again. Dry on the skin, at thirty minutes, and I'm applying the scent again. It's gone super powdery, so I'm amping the amount just in case. I want to give everything the best shot possible. Another thirty minutes later, still no violet, and I'm just getting a minty-sweet-eucalyptus that has a powdery metallic tang in the back of my nose. Going to wash this off ASAP before I get a headache. Overall, at the moment, and I don't think this is the scent for me. Minty-anything just turns into household cleaning products or baby powder/wipes on me. Still, I am going to wait a week, and give this another shot before I swap. So, if minty and metallic scents are your things or age well on your skin, this is the scent for you.

I feel somewhat behind finally giving Snake Oil a try, especially as anything with "sugared" and "vanilla" in the description usually ages well on my skin. In the imp, I'm initially taken aback at the strength of the scent. Upon the second scent, I smell sweetness, definitely, as well as a unique buttery spiciness. This is a smooth scent. Wet on the skin, at first, I get a whiff of that typical alcoholic tang that generic perfumes all have, so I waited about two minutes (after having read several other review that recommended giving Snake Oil some time to settle and "morph"), and I still smell that tang, though not so much in the typical store-bought perfume manner (thankfully). I'm catching mostly somewhat sugary spices. Dry on the skin, after about forty minutes, and THERE is the vanilla! Truthfully, it took only about ten minutes for the sweetness to come through, but I wanted to wait and see how long the spice rack flavors would last. I'm so glad I didn't judge Snake Oil on my initial experiences, because I would be missing out on this wonderfully unique scent! No powdery, no soapy, though I wouldn't necessarily call this sugared vanilla so much as I would call it "spiced vanilla." Overall, I had to reapply one time, but that was it. Snake Oil lasted very well on my skin without a suffocating throw. Several of my students (I'm a high school teacher) complimented me on my scent, but only when I was standing next to them while correcting work. I can see why this is a popular scent, and I will definitely be purchasing a bottle for my evening outings!

So glad to finally try this scent! I moved and fell out of BPAL in all the craziness, and this was the first scent that I received and sniffed in over eight months. What a great welcoming back to BPAL! In the imp, I don't smell any citrus. Just sweet vanilla and sandalwood. The scent is strong but so pleasant! Wet on the skin, the throw is not overwhelming, which is wonderful. I can't stop sniffing myself! The sandalwood is definitely coming out strong along with the Lily of the Valley. That extra muskiness must be the opium, which, apparently, I adore (and as a result, I am browsing for more opium-mixed scents right now). Dry on the skin about thirty minutes later, and I am enamored. The musky vanilla-lily-sandalwood combination is lush and womanly, though not overly so. It seems to go slightly powdery (not soapy, however) on my skin, which I prefer in scents anyhow. I still don't smell any mandarin notes, though I am certainly not complaining! There is something about this scent that seems almost dreamy. Belle Époque is a classic! It makes me think of warm gardens and beautiful women lounging outside with large brim hats many, many years ago. And it makes me remember watching the movie of the same (with a very young Penelope Cruz), which it seems to reflect in an amusing way. I will definitely be adding this permanently to my growing collection. I highly recommend.